The present invention relates to a support structure of a windshield which comprises a frame having an open section opening forward in a vehicle and extending in a vehicle width direction along a lower side portion of the windshield and a support member provided inside the frame and connecting an upper face portion and a lower face portion of the frame.
Conventionally, some structures disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications No. 2007-331720, 2009-6801 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/116721 are known as a structure supporting a windshield (a glass-made windshield, for example).
In the structure disclosed in the above-described first patent document, as shown in FIG. 14, the cowl outer panel 61 and the cowl inner panel 62 constitute the cowl portion 63, and the cowl outer panel 61 supports the windshield glass 65 via the adhesive 64. The brace 66 is provided to face the lower front face of the cowl inner panel 62 and the front back face of the cowl outer panel 61, and the closed cross section 67 is formed among the brace 66, the cowl inner panel 62, and the cowl outer panel 61, so that the support rigidity of the windshield 65 is increased to reduce the noises and vibrations and thereby to ensure the NV (noise vibration) function. Further, the bending portion 66a is formed at the middle portion, in the vertical direction, of the brace 66, so that deformation of the brace 66 at the bending portion 66a is promoted when the impact load is inputted from above. Thereby, the protection of a pedestrian who the vehicle hits against from the front (in the vehicle frontal collision) is achieved. In FIG. 14, an arrow F shows a vehicle forward direction. This is the same in FIGS. 15 and 16 as well.
In the conventional structure shown in FIG. 14, while there is an advantage that both the NV function and the pedestrian protection function can be ensured, there is a problem in that since the closed cross section 67 is formed inside the cowl portion 63 by using the brace 66, the layout around the cowl portion 63 may be restricted.
In the structure disclosed in the above-described second patent document, as shown in FIG. 15, the cowl outer panel 71 and the cowl inner panel 72 constitute the cowl portion 73 with an open cross section, and the cowl outer panel 71 supports the windshield glass 75 via the adhesive 74. The panel member 76 is provided at the lower portion of the cowl inner panel 72, and the reinforcement 77 extending vertically is provided between the upper face of the rear portion of the panel member 76 and the back face of the front portion of the cowl outer panel 71. Thereby, the rigidity of the cowl portion 73 in the vertical direction can be ensured to improve the NV function.
In the conventional structure shown in FIG. 15, while it may be possible to ensure the NV function with the high rigidity of the cowl portion, another countermeasure for the pedestrian protection against the vehicle frontal collision may be necessary. That is, in the conventional structure of FIG. 15, there is a problem in that some means for bending or deforming the reinforcement 77 when the impact load is inputted from above, such as providing the airbag device 78 shown in the figure, may be indispensable for the pedestrian protection, so that the structure may become improperly complex.
In the structure disclosed in the above-described third patent document, as shown in FIG. 16, the cowl outer panel 81 and the cowl inner panel 82 constitute the cowl portion 83, and the cowl outer panel 81 supports the windshield glass 85 via the adhesive 84. The bending portion 86a is formed at the middle position, in the vertical direction, of the brace 86 which is provided between the front face of the lower portion of the cowl inner panel 82 and the lower face of the front portion of the cowl outer panel 81. When the impact load is inputted from above, the deformation of the brace 86 at the bending portion 86a can be promoted to achieve the pedestrian protection.
In the conventional structure shown in FIG. 16, while there is an advantage in that the pedestrian protection function can be ensured, there is a problem in that the NV function may deteriorate. That is, since the support portion supporting the lower face of the cowl outer panel 81 is comprised of a single point of the bending portion 86b with a small longitudinal width which is formed at the upper end of the brace 86, there is a problem in that a force acting on the windshield glass 85 during the vehicle traveling (which is cased by the traveling air or the like) may cause a film vibration of the windshield 85 like a drum, so that a sound caused by this film vibration may be sensed in error as a noise in the vehicle compartment.